


settling for second best

by Hardrada



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28503960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hardrada/pseuds/Hardrada
Summary: Jim discovers a new allergy and offers a bit of sage advice to a star-struck Cadet.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	settling for second best

**Author's Note:**

> _Hi_
> 
> _This started out as one thing and turned into another, but that’s what it wanted, so who am I to argue? Hope you enjoy it anyway._
> 
> _As ever, so many thanks to anyone who reads this stuff, comments or leaves kudos. Means so much._
> 
> _Having a break from the angsty stuff for a while; they need a break and so do I! But since angst is my middle name, there’s no way I’ll be able to leave them alone for long… There's no bad language in this (amazingly), no angst, no nothing. Just love and h/c, and Jim being a bit wise. There is an angsty one being worked on, so this is like a bit of tension relief!_

Bones took the corner on the equivalent of two wheels, hand against the wall to maintain his balance, running flat out down the corridor and then another two wheel equivalent into the med bay. Jim Kirk was sitting on the gurney looking, thought Bones wildly, like a hamster. Yellow and swollen.

“Jim!” Bones came to a dead stop about an inch from Jim’s nose, making him rock back, startled. Bones pulled out his scanner and immediately began to take readings. “Kid, what the hell have you done this time?”

Jim held out hands that were visibly shaking. “Mustard”. That was all he could manage, wincing as he swallowed.

“Mustard? Mustard? My god, is there anything that you can eat without having some kind of over-the-top reaction?”

Jim didn’t respond, his head dropping, and Bones quickly pinched at his ear lobe, making him start. “Don’t sleep, Jim. You stay awake, okay?”

“Okay”. Jim’s head jerked up and his eyes slitted. It could barely be counted as awake, but it was better than nothing He was beginning to struggle with his breathing, Jim’s classic allergic reaction. The strange hue was fading as well and he was going pasty, sweating and clammy, swaying towards Bones.

“Time to lie down”. Bones helped Jim until he was lying on the gurney, and then gestured to one of the nurses. “Come on, come on!” She stepped forward hastily with the hyposprays. Bones simply held out his hand and she gave him the first one. As ever, Bones tried to be gentle with them, but Jim still flinched from it. The second and third followed and then Bones himself expertly set up an IV to keep him hydrated.

“Okay, get him comfortable”, he snapped, grabbing the PADD the nurse now held out. “Call me the second anything changes”. He leaned down and stroked the sweaty hair back from Jim’s forehead. “It’s okay, love, it’s okay. I’m here, and you’re going to be fine”.

Jim’s eyes were closed again, but he moved his head at the sound of Bones’ voice and Bones nodded at the nurse, who wheeled the gurney out of the centre of the room.

“Mustard”, he said in amazement as he entered the information onto the PADD. “Jim, my darling, you’re going to be living on rice for the rest of your life at this rate”. He looked up as the nurse came back. “Well?”

“He’s settling”, she said promptly. “His breathing is beginning to ease”.

Bones nodded. “Good”.

The comms unit chose that moment to burst into life as Spock requested an update, and it pretty much didn’t stop for the next hour as seemingly everyone and his dog found a reason to either drop by the med bay or communicate in some other way, and casually ask how the captain was. Bones thought seriously about locking up and sticking an update to the door.

Fortunately it was a quiet day with no new cases and Bones knew damn well he should have been working on reports and paperwork, but as ever when Jim was down he couldn’t concentrate. Jim was his fatal weakness. He did try but after reading the same paragraph at least five times, he gave up and made his way over to the bay where Jim was sound asleep. He was still horribly swollen, but his breathing was calmer now, and Bones perched on the side of the bed, reaching for Jim’s hand. Jim muttered something inaudible, and even deeply asleep, squeezed Bones’ hand.

“How you going, kid?” Bones said softly. “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that? My head is going to explode just from the stress”. He squeezed Jim’s hand in return, leaned forward and kissed him. “Sleep it off, sweetheart”.

He sat for a few minutes watching the readouts, fingers stroking idly across Jim’s knuckles. Even in this scenario, he still loved just watching Jim be still. He sometimes thought he could spend the rest of his life just watching him. Not that he would ever admit it because that would be more than his life was worth. He raised Jim’s hand and kissed it and then stood up. “Gotta go”, he said. “I’ll be back soon”.

He had nowhere to go, not really. The bridge was the only other place he would go, and that was only to be with Jim, but he absolutely refused to sit about like a lovestruck fool until Jim woke up. Just because that was exactly what he was, and exactly what he wanted to happen. He gathered up his PADDs and left the med bay. He would go and lock himself in one of the study rooms and do some work. Set the timer so that he couldn’t get out. He made it about five steps down the corridor when Uhura appeared at his shoulder, making him jump.

“He’s fine”, Bones said before she could even open her mouth, and she pursed her lips and glared. This particular glare-off could last for hours, as they were both experts, but this time Bones blinked first. “Sorry”, he forced out.

“I was coming to tell you that Cadet Webster has injured himself during a self-defence class I was overseeing. Could you come and see him please?”

“What did he do?” Bones asked, turning to head back to the med bay to collect his gear.

“Tried to take me down”. Uhura grinned evilly. “Think he may have broken a few ribs and possibly his hand”.

Bones grinned back at her. “They never learn, do they?”

“I sure hope not”, Uhura responded. “Would ruin my fun”. 

Once Bones had collected his med kit, they made their way to the gym where Cadet Webster was sitting with his back to the wall, very pale and sweaty, injured hand held cradled against his chest. His breathing was shallow as he tried to save the pain in his ribs, and Bones quickly made his way over, dropping to his knees by the Cadet.

“Well, Cadet, let’s see, let’s see”, he gestured for Webster to move so he could see the hand. Even though his tone was impatient and his gesture peremptory, his hands were gentle as they felt the Cadet’s hand and then cut the shirt he was wearing to expose his injured ribs, hands moving slowly and carefully, his eyes fixed over the Cadet’s head, doing the whole thing by touch, as he preferred. One day, when he was that old doctor in the little Georgia town, he was determined that he was still going to be able to diagnose by feel rather than having to rely on technology. He also did it in an attempt to impress anyone who was watching in the hope that perhaps they would develop an interest in medicine.

“Okay”. He nodded. “There is definitely one, possibly two bones broken in that hand, and I think that the ribs are only cracked. Let’s get you scanned to see how right I am”.

He reached into the med kit and pulled out the scanner, checking the readings and nodding his satisfaction. “You’re lucky that you hurt yourself aboard this ship, kid”, he said to the Cadet. “That way you get the kudos of saying that you were taken down by the legendary Lieutenant Uhura and treated by the equally legendary Doctor McCoy”. He heard Uhura snort a laugh, but kept his own scowl in place. Webster was pale and wide-eyed, but those eyes were taking on a look of hero-worship. Maybe this one would be one of his successes. He gave the boy a quick shot of painkiller and stood up.

“Come on”, he said, “we need to get you to the med bay. Can you walk or do we get a gurney?”

“No, sir, I can walk”, Webster said.

“Another lesson for you, Cadet. Learn to accept help when it’s needed”. Uhura stepped forward and hooked an arm under Webster’s, helping him stand. “Lean on me and we’ll get there together. You did well, Cadet, you have nothing to be ashamed of”. She grinned evilly. “But don’t ever make the mistake of referring to me, or anyone, as a ‘little woman’, and certainly not in their hearing”.

“No, ma’am, sorry ma’am”, Webster answered and then bit his lip as his ribs creaked.

“Nice and slow, Cadet”, Bones said, gathering his kit together and standing up, one hand on the boy’s shoulder. They moved slowly out of the gym and made their way to the med bay.

Once there, they helped Webster onto a gurney and Bones gave him a more thorough check.

“Nothing serious”, he said. “A single session in the regen should see you fit again”. He saw the Cadet’s gaze had wandered and he followed the direction of his stare. Jim was still curled up on his own bio bed, fast asleep, arm tucked under his head and looking about twelve years old. Bones waved a hand in front of Webster’s eyes. “Eyes on me, Cadet. Yes, that’s Captain Kirk. Let him sleep. In other words, keep your voice down, okay?”

“Yes, sir”, Webster whispered, his eyes still straying to the sight of the legendary Captain Kirk sleeping like a child only a few metres away.

“Right”, said Bones, “Let’s get you fixed”.

“Bones?” The voice was fuzzy with sleep, but unobstructed.

Bones glanced at Uhura, who was still standing by the Cadet’s side. “Would you mind?” She nodded and quickly moved over to Jim’s side as he began to stir, one hand reaching out as he said Bones’ name again. Bones was pleased to see that she pulled the dividing screen behind her so that they were hidden from prying eyes. He could hear her voice, low and comforting and Jim’s responses, still fuzzy, but clearing. He said something, and Uhura laughed softly, and Bones relaxed.

“Okay, let’s get this set up”. He gently moved Webster’s hand, inserting it into the regen machine. “Just sit quietly and let it work. You’ll be here most of today now, and yes, your friends can come and see you, but only one at a time, and keep the noise down”.

“Sir”. Bones could see the cogs working in the kid’s mind, and he caught Webster’s eyes and said, very quietly. “If you’re wondering how you can profit from sharing a med bay with the Captain, don’t even think about it, because if I so much as suspect you’re doing that, I will rip out your appendix with my bare hands”. He smiled. “Understood?”

Webster swallowed, and nodded. Jesus, it was true what he had heard. McCoy was not only a psychopath but he could read minds as well. He was a psychopathic telepath. Webster blinked and wondered if he could have some more painkiller. Everyone knew, of course, that Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy were a couple, but Webster had never seen such an incredible level of protection as he had in that gaze of McCoy’s. He couldn’t imagine ever being that possessive of another person. He actually felt a twinge of sadness at the thought.

“Okay”, Bones said, checking the regen machine. “You’re cooking. This will take about an hour and then we’ll start on the ribs. May be worth calling that one friend of yours and getting some studying done”. He gestured to the nurse who was on duty with him and gestured to the machine. Nurse Chang raised her hand in acknowledgement, and Bones moved away, quickly cleansing his hands before making his way behind the screen to Jim’s bed.

Uhura looked up and smiled. She had been sitting next to Jim, a hand in his hair, but as Bones appeared she slid off the bed.

“I’ll leave you two to it”, she said. “The loudmouth kid doing okay?”

“He’ll be fine”, Bones said. “We’ve had words and he won’t be doing anything foolish”.

Uhura grinned in perfect acknowledgement. “That’s good”, she said. “Well, I’ll go and have a shower and come by later to check on him. I’m off duty now”. She nodded at Bones and Jim. “I’ll check on you later as well”, she said, and Jim raised a hand in a weak acknowledgement.

The first thing Bones did was check on Jim’s readouts, making sure the IV was still doing its job. He noticed that it had recently been replaced and nodded his approval.

“Your scans are looking good”, he said at last, looking down at Jim, still pale and heavy eyed. “How are you feeling,love ?”

“Pretty bad”, Jim admitted. “chest is killing me”. He shook his head at Bones’ expression of alarm. “No, I mean the muscles hurt, probably from struggling to breathe”.

“I’ll get some relaxant and painkiller mixed in with the IV”, said Bones, knowing that Jim would much rather have it that way than as a hypospray. “Just hold on”.

He made his way back out into the main area of the med bay and found what he was looking for. He noticed that Webster had found a comfortable position, and was half dozing.

Back behind the screen, he fixed Jim’s drip and then sat on the bed. Jim reached out and Bones took his hand. He looked pale and ill, but no worse than he always did after an attack. “When can I go back to our quarters?” he said. “You know I hate feeling like an exhibit”.

“You’ll be a few hours. Want me to move you into the side room? There’s a Cadet here with broken hand and ribs”.

“Yeah, Uhura was telling me”. Jim gave a faint smile, the ghost of his normal bright grin. “But no, it’s fine. Just keep the screens pulled, okay?”

“Of course. Hopefully we can get you back to quarters before tonight, but it may not be until tomorrow. It all depends how you respond, you know that”. He paused and looked down at Jim’s hand. “Mustard?” he said. “How in hell…?”

“Was making that chicken you like”, Jim said, “and I made the rub like I always do. Then when I licked my fingers everything just went bang”. He shook his head. “I’ve always been fine before”.

“Yeah, you have. I’ll find out whether the suppliers are the same. There must be a new ingredient that’s decided to fight you”.

“Feels like it nearly won”, Jim said. “God, it hurt”.

“White rice and water for you for the rest of your life”, Bones said lightly, hiding his concern. “I’ll carry on eating everything of course”.

“Animal”. Jim’s eyes had begun to close so Bones stood up, bending over to kiss his forehead and then softly, his lips. 

“Get some sleep, love”, he said. “I’ll check in on you later”.

He watched Jim for another few minutes as he began to sleep and then backed out. Cadet Webster was awake and grimacing slightly at the regen machine.

“Fingers tingling?” Bones asked, and nodded as Webster said yes. “That’s a good sign; means it’s all knitting back together. This isn’t a comfortable experience, but it’s not painful”. He looked at the readings. “Nurse Chang will keep an eye on you”.

“Thank you, sir”, Webster said, his eyes wide. He had heard some of the interaction between the couple behind the screens, and he couldn’t wait to tell his friends. He may not have heard any words as such, but the sheer gentleness of McCoy’s tone was a talking point in itself.

Bones took a final look at the readings and stepped back. “I’ll be back later”. He moved over to have a quick word with Chang and then left the med bay. He had to see the quartermaster.

__

“A new ingredient in the mustard”. Spock’s voice made him jump. He had literally just walked into the stores and some part of his brain had registered a body lying on the ground, long legs pointing towards him. He opened his mouth to question just what the hell was happening, when Spock had uttered his cryptic sentence

“How do you know?” Bones snapped, stupidly angry that he hadn’t been able to solve the problem himself.

“I was talking to the Captain when he began to react negatively. I had a question for him and so had taken it upon myself to visit him in his quarters. He had been expecting to see me and so I was not stepping over any line”.

“I never said you were”, said Bones. “How does that lead to you lying on the floor in the store room?”

“I thought that would be self-evident”, responded Spock. “He began to react to something and naturally I asked him what he thought it could be. He said ‘mustard’, and then told me to call for you”.

“Okay. Thanks, I guess”. Sometimes Bone amazed himself with his ability to sound like a sulky child. “So there’s a new ingredient in there?”

“Indeed. There is an additive in here that was not in the previous batch”.

“Well, thanks again”, Bones said. “If we can narrow it down it will make things easier”. He sighed. “He sure does make life interesting”.

“Indeed”. Spock pushed himself to his feet and assumed his usual ramrod posture. “May I ask how the Captain is doing?”

“He’s fine. He’s tired, just sleeping it off right now. There’s a Cadet in there that Uhura injured, and the kid has forgotten his injuries since he’s in the presence of greatness”.

“I am sorry. Lieutenant Uhura has injured a cadet?”

Bones smirked, pleased to have unsettled the Vulcan, but then he gave in and explained the facts behind the incident. There was a definite twitch of amusement at the corner of Spock’s mouth. At Bones’ request, Spock gathered a small sample of the mustard and passed it back to him. “I’ll get it analysed, just make sure there’s nothing else that may have triggered him, then I can add it to the list”.

“That must be quite a lengthy list now”, commented Spock casually, and as ever, every time Spock made a remark showing any kind of humour, Bones snorted a surprised laugh. He raised the sample as a farewell and made his way back to the lab.

The voices died as soon as he pushed back into the med bay. Cadet Webster had clearly been in mid-sentence, and of the two fellow cadets who were there, one was listening open-mouthed. The other one, a female, was standing in front of the display screens showing Webster’s readings. Her hands were behind her back as if she was trying to avoid touching anything, and Bones could see her fingers clenching and unclenching. She was interested, and he was pleased about that. Maybe she could be a convert.

“Cadets”, he said, nodding. “Everything on course here?”

“Yes, sir”, said Webster. The female cadet spun around, seeming almost guilty at being caught out. 

“The readouts are showing the Cadet’s rate of healing, along with pulse, oxygenation and blood pressure”. Bones’ words were aimed at her. “Does it make sense if you look at it that way?”

She looked back at the screen and nodded. “Yes”, she said, pointing. “Blood pressure, yes?” She glanced back at Bones, who nodded. 

“He’s doing fine”, he said. “He’ll be out of here soon, and maybe he’ll learn not to open his fool mouth in future”. He glared at Webster.

The Cadet grinned before covering her mouth with her hand and Bones’ lips twitched.

With a final nod at all three, Bones moved behind the screen. Jim was awake, looking at nothing, a frown between his eyebrows. He didn’t respond to Bones’ appearance and in fact jumped when Bones touched his shoulder.

“Oh, hey”, he said then, his eyes still not focusing properly. “How’s it going?”

Bones didn’t respond, instead quickly scanning Jim and checking the readouts. Everything seemed to be okay, although he wasn’t happy with the way Jim was just lying there. He put down the scanner and sat on the bed, his hand against Jim’s forehead, which was cool. He looked okay; he just wasn’t himself.

“How’s it going yourself?” he asked softly. “What’s the matter?”

Jim turned over onto his back, Bones’ hand slipping off his forehead. “Dunno”, he said. “I just feel tired”. He sighed hugely. “Wanna go home, Bones”.

“The readouts are fine”, Bones said, putting his hand back on Jim’s forehead. “I think maybe this is just another one of your many reactions. I’ll sit with you for a while”.

“Really wanna go home”, Jim slurred, his eyes closed. Anxiously Bones scanned him again, but still everything seemed to be okay. “You can sit with me at home”.

“Not yet I can’t, love. I’ve got a shift to finish and the Captain of this thing is a bastard. Won’t give me five minutes’ grace. Keeps coming in to check on me. He pretends to be sick, but I know better”.

Jim’s lips quirked in a smile. “Heard about him”, he muttered. “He only does it out of love”.

Bones smiled softly and picked up Jim’s hand, kissing the palm and then folding it between both of his own. “I know, kid I know”, he said.

They sat quietly for a moment, and then Jim muttered, “Can I hear voices, or am I hallucinating?”

“No, you’re not and yes you can. The cadet has a couple of friends keeping him company. One of them seems pretty interested in the readouts actually. I may have to keep an eye on her”.

“Bring her in here”, Jim said, and Bones shook his head immediately, and even though Jim’s eyes were closed he sensed it. “Yes”, he said. “Bring her in. Captain’s orders”.

“You are a bastard”, Bones muttered, leaning down and dropping a kiss on Jim’s lips. “You really are”.

“Learned from the best”, Jim responded, eyes finally opening although only to the merest slits. “Do you what you’re told”.

“Very demanding”. Bones sighed. “If you’re sure…”

Jim nodded, and Bones stuck his head around the screens again. “Hey”, he said. “Cadet - you looking at the readouts”. He heard a voiceless complaint from behind him and he rolled his eyes. “Sorry”, he said, “not sure of your name”.

“Better”, came the voice.

“Sir?” The Cadet whirled around at the sound of Bones’ voice and looked wide-eyed and terrified at Bones, who gestured her over. “Yes, you”, he said. “What’s your name?”

“Er, Crawford”, she said. “Sir”.

“Okay, Cadet Crawford, the Captain wants to have a word with you”.

For a moment, Bones genuinely thought that Crawford was going to faint. She definitely rocked on her heels but she pulled herself together and walked towards Bones, albeit with teeny tiny baby steps. The other Cadets watched, mouths open, and Bones snapped at them, “Stop catching flies, you two. You’re probably cooked now anyway”. He caught Nurse Chang’s eye and nodded, then stood back as Crawford approached. “Come one”, he said. “The Captain won’t bite”.

“Not at the moment anyway”, said Jim faintly, and Crawford practically passed out on the spot. “Come in, Cadet”.

Bones rather thought he heard a whimper as Crawford passed him and he looked at Jim, not sure where this was going and as ever, concerned only with Jim.

“Hi”, Jim said, pulling himself up in the bed with an effort that left his arms trembling. He shot a look at Bones as he moved around to help him, but Bones ignored it and between them they got Jim settled. “Hi”, he said again. “I’m not actually decrepit and it’s not catching”. He smiled at Crawford and Bones saw the actual second the Kirk charm began to work and the Cadet began to breathe.

“Dr McCoy says that you seemed to be interested in the readouts and what was going on out there with your friend”, Jim said. “Is that right?”

Crawford muttered something breathless and silent, and Jim smiled again. “I won’t bite”, he said again. He nodded at Bones. “He might, but we all know what he’s like. I want to know why you were looking at the readouts”.

“It just seemed really - incredible. Sir”. She sounded, Bones mused, as if she were about to have an asthma attack. He looked around casually for his hyposprays. “When I was a kid I would go to the doctor and they would scan and the readouts would come up, and I was just amazed that those numbers somehow correlated to a human body and what it was doing”. She stopped, wide-eyed and clearly concerned she had said too much. She had of course heard about the legendary Captain, and had seen him, had heard him give speeches, but here he was, just lying there, looking really tired, actually. And McCoy was with him. The other legend, the amazing doctor who brought the Captain back from the dead because he couldn’t face life without him. The juvenile side of Crawford thought that was the most romantic thing she had ever heard. She had cried and cried when she had heard that.

“I know what you mean”, said Jim. “Doctor McCoy here spends a lot of time reading the scanners and what have you, and it amazes me. All looks like random numbers to me. Tell me, what are you studying on the _Enterprise_?”

“Communications, sir”, she said.

“And do you love it?”

Crawford paused, and Jim raised an eyebrow at her. “You’ve gotta love what you do, Cadet, or you’ll end up just settling. Do you love it?”

She paused again and then dared to meet Jim’s direct and somewhat unsettling gaze. “No”, she said quietly. “No, I don’t love it”.

“You don’t have to settle, remember that”, said Jim. “Get lost, go back to your friends, but remember that. Life isn’t about settling, Cadet Crawford. It’s about finding what you love and working towards it”. He swallowed, clearly exhausted. “And Doctor McCoy is always here to answer questions. His bark’s a whole lot worse than his bite”.

“Okay, that’s enough”, said Bones, concerned at Jim’s sudden pallor. “Cadet, out you go”. He shepherded her back round the screen, but before he made his way back to Jim, he said, “the Captain’s right. Don’t settle. Come to me if there’s anything you want to ask”. He indicated the way they had just come. “He’s got a way of looking inside people, hasn’t he? He knows what he’s talking about, remember that”.

He left her standing in the middle of the med bay, utterly dumbfounded by what had just happened.

__

“That was a nice thing you did today”, Bones said. He was sitting on the bed in their quarters with Jim propped up next to him. “What brought it on?”

“You mean that I’m not normally nice?”

“Don’t be smart”. 

“Way I see it my Bones, we all get one chance in this life, and only one. You were mine and I can never tell you how grateful I am that you offered it and I took it; who knows, maybe I was yours. And what if this turns out to have been her chance, that moment when you realise what it is you want out of life, and that life has offered it to you? If you don’t grab it by the balls, you’ll never get it back”. He sighed. “It almost happened to me and you caught me”. He raised his hand to Bones’ cheek. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Bones smiled very softly, a smile nobody else would ever see, or ever had seen. He cupped his own hand over Jim’s. “You really are just the best of men”, he said, his voice gruff. “And I know what you mean, of course I do. And I’ll tell you something else. You are going to be remembered as one of the best captains Starfleet ever had”.

“Not a bastard, then?”

“Not so much, no”. 

Jim’s eyes began to flutter closed again. “Bones, I’m so tired”.

“I know you are, love. But you’re going to be fine. You just need to sleep a little while longer”. He kissed Jim’s palm. “This is an exciting and all-new reaction of yours that we’ll put in the record books. Gives us all some peace I suppose, but on the whole I’d rather have you twitching for an hour and then be as good as new”.

“Yeah, me too”. Jim’s voice began to drop off the edge and Bones shifted so that they could both lie down, Jim’s head sinking to lie on Bones’ shoulder.

“Way to get out of pen pushing pedants”, he muttered, and Jim huffed a laugh. “Spock’s revelling in it”.

“Rather him than me”. Jim’s voice was so faint as to be non-existent but Bones heard every word. He always did.

The End


End file.
